Harvesting the Liver From a Donor With a Biventricular Assist Device (BiVAD)—An Unexpectedly Challenging Procedure: A Case Report

Abstract

BackgroundOrgan procurement from deceased donors is usually a standard procedure. Nevertheless, the performing surgeon is often confronted with demanding situations, such as atherosclerotic or aneurysmatic aortic disease or even other pathologies, which may alter the surgical steps. We report on an interesting case of solid organ harvesting from a donor with a biventricular assist device (BiVAD) due to global heart failure. Case ReportA 42-year-old male donor with a BiVAD, enlisted for heart transplantation, died of intracerebral hemorrhage. Dressing the surgical field was challenging because the extracorporal portions of all 4 tubes and the pump device rested on the donor's body, covering his whole abdomen. To ensure enough space, the pump and tubes had been covered with sterile swabs and drapes. The second surgical assistant was tasked with holding the device slightly deviated to the left and the ankle elevated at 45°, to avoid any tube kinking. The dissection of the main vessels distally was performed using the standard technique. No encirclement of the proximal aorta beneath the diaphragm was necessary, as the cardiac output could be arrested by clamping the left ventricle's outflow tube. Once the perfusion was completed, the procedure continued in the standard fashion. ConclusionSo far, the literature has no data on organ harvesting from deceased donors with BiVAD. Although such a retrieval is quite challenging and requires an experienced team, the transplantation of the corresponding organs can be performed without any further special technical problems.